Division
by TL-chan
Summary: As Buguese and Aqune deal with a new enemy, their own doubts and weaknesses are brought to the surface.


AN: Set post series. I like to wonder about the state of the Inner World after the war, especially the Insector world. I think there would still be a mess of unsettled feelings and real peace would take work. I disagree with fics that make the Insectors inexplicably functioning exactly as they did in canon in a post-series setting (ie: fighting the Spider Riders and being outright enemies), but humans and Insectors won't be BFFs either. So I wrote something. Again.

* * *

Transformed into battle armor, Aqune stood on a balcony of Mantid's former castle, obscuring herself from view. Rebuilding had been underway since nearly the day sunlight was restored, and the structure almost looked presentable again. The girl had a reasonably good view of her surroundings from her position, but would be out of sight from the crowds watching from the streets. And certainly, there was a large amount of Insector people gathered there on this day.

Buguese, on the other hand, had taken center stage. As the newly-promoted ruler of his people, it was his duty to address them in a time of crisis… well, of potential crisis, but he strongly wished to prevent anything worse from happening. Public speech wasn't something he was very used to. He was more inclined to take physical action when possible. But his persuasion skills were to be noted, at least. And that was a good thing when he wasn't really in the shape to be fighting anyway.

"My people, I would like your attention," he began.

The streets turned quiet quickly.

Aqune took a deep breath, already feeling herself becoming tense. She had an ominous feeling about all of this, but hoped with all her heart that it would turn out well.

"As you may be aware, there have been acts of terror on our land, by a small faction of humans. There have been no deaths, merely injuries and vandalism, but it is still inexcusable. This is no secret to myself or my generals, and I have no intention of hiding it from any of you either," Buguese continued. "Therefore, I promise that action is being taken to deal with the situation. It has been suggested, but we can not close down borders between our world and Arachna. This could be seen as a sign of hostilities. That we have something to hide. I wish to remain on civil terms with the humans. That will hopefully prompt them to give the same respect to us. We do not have to be friends, but we do have to share this world, and its many resources, as equals."

As he paused, much of the crowd began to give applause. But there was something more happening. A faint whizzing sound. There was someone, or something rapidly moving. Aqune was positive.

The Rider leaped out from hiding, thrusting out her sword once she stood in front of Buguese. Her blade collided with another. A blade wider than her long sword. Fortunately, her quick action had thrown off the attacker, who backed off a few steps in surprise.

The attacker's body was fully covered by a suit of armor, helmet and all. There was no easy way to determine their identity. Still, Aqune couldn't worry about that. She swung her sword once more at the foe. A low shot, it dodged the opposing blade, colliding with their armor instead and pushing the attacker away.

"Aqune…" Buguese felt he had to acknowledge her aide, rather than stand there stupidly. He strongly wanted to throttle the person who would dare try and attack him personally. But Aqune seemed to have the situation under control. And the Insector grudgingly acknowledged that his body wasn't at 100%. Not even that close. Well, if there was any good in this, at least he wouldn't have to put his own weakness on public display.

Aqune nodded to Buguese in reply, and quickly looked back to her opponent. They were able to get up from the ground easily enough, the suit of armor serving to prevent any serious injury.

'Metal conducts electricity,' the girl pondered. 'If I used a real attack, I think I could win. However…' She cringed at the thought of seriously hurting the enemy. 'No. I promised to protect Buguese. That's what matters now.'

"Amdol!" As the enemy was preparing to make an attack, volts flew from Aqune's sword. She could hear the enemy cry in pain, a surprisingly feminine sounding voice. Not that the suit of armor made either gender apparent.

However, after a brief pause, the enemy shook off the pain. Even Aqune wasn't expecting such a quick change in movement, and was unable to block the swing of the opponent's blade fast enough. She was thrown backward.

Buguese darted closer, grabbing hold of Aqune from behind to break her fall. Just this impact was enough to make his body ache, but he tried not to show it.

"Are you alright?" Buguese asked.

"Yeah…" Aqune replied, cracking open her eyes. "I'll try again."

She got to her feet, prepared to launch a second attack. But by the time she could, the foe's sword was already plunging towards her. She gasped, desperately trying to move her body fast enough. But as luck would have it, the attack never came.

From what looked like out of nowhere, Stags appeared on the scene. He had shot the enemy away with a swing from his heavy sword. The next thing Aqune realized, the enemy was falling from the balcony.

Concerned both for the people below and the girl being thrown to a possible demise, Aqune ran over to the edge. But the enemy was nowhere to be seen.

"Where did she go?" Aqune wondered, turning to Stags in hopes that he saw something.

He shook his head, doubtful.

"I couldn't see."

Aqune looked down again. The crowds had thinned somewhat, likely because people fled at the sign of an attack. But there were still many there, with various faces of amazement and horror.

Buguese stepped up towards the edge of the balcony as well, looking ahead at the people.

"As you can see, we were able to deal with this attack. No one was harmed," he announced. He looked to his fellow general. "Stags, please send out messenger bugs and soldiers to search the area. Make sure to be rid of the terrorist if they are still in Insector lands."

"Yes," replied Stags. He lowered his head in respect

* * *

A short while later, when he'd managed to ease the crowds as best as he could, Buguese returned to his personal chambers in frustration. Aqune accompanied him, and stood by the door, looking down at the floor.

"Buguese… this isn't your fault," Aqune said. She at least wanted to break the awkward silence in the room.

"Perhaps not," he replied. "But by all means, I should be capable of dealing with attacks like this myself. If I can only talk, but do nothing to prove my own competence, the Insector people have no reason to believe in me."

"I can understand, but, they accepted you as their leader," Aqune replied. "That means they have a trust in you already. And if you'd like to recover faster… well, we haven't tried a healing session in a while." Aqune looked nervous just brining up the idea.

"I don't need magical healing," Buguese insisted. "I should be able to recover on my own."

"Yes, but…" Aqune stopped herself. She was concerned, and wanted to help, but she didn't wish to fight with Buguese.

The Insector gazed at her troubled expression. Why did it matter so much to her? Well, whatever the reason, he didn't like to see her unhappy. He sighed to himself.

"If you'd like… I suppose a little of your power will be alright," he spoke.

Aqune's face brightened.

"I'm glad. I just want to be able to help you." She frowned for a moment. "I wasn't able to protect you but… I'm confident I can at least speed up your healing."

Buguese removed the armor and cape he normally wore, and sat up on the bed, where Aqune climbed up beside him. An aura of light grew around her, and soon, warmth resonated from her hands. Slowly, she began to move them across Buguese's body. She would normally focus on the places most injured, but in Buguese's case, that was most of them.

Much as Buguese hated to admit it, her light truly felt amazing. It was an incomparable feeling. All his soreness felt a temporary ease when it came over him. In a way, he was bothered by this too, but he wasn't going to object when she looked so content doing it. More than content, Aqune looked graceful, divine. He could get lost in watching her like this. Perhaps that was another reason he tended to refuse her healing.

"You should know, Aqune…" he decided to speak. "I think you did well before."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"You may not have won the fight, but you did protect me. Aqune, you are a powerful fighter, but I know battle isn't your nature. When I requested your help… well, I didn't really expect to be attacked, but I did not expect you to kill another human either. You shouldn't have to. I wish to be able to fight for myself, and just having your support is enough."

Aqune smiled at him.

"Then just let me heal you. It isn't true that I can magically heal your injuries, but I can speed up the process by a lot. And I would be glad to. I want to do all I can to help you, always. But only if you'll allow it."

Buguese sighed.

"Well then, I suppose."

Aqune continued working, until there was a knock on the door.

"Do you want to answer that?" the girl asked, looking a little flustered. At least no one barged in.

"I might as well," he said. "I have a good idea of who it might be, anyway."

Although Buguese was uncertain as to whether a visit meant good or bad news (or no news at all), he correctly predicted that it was his generals. Stags and Beerain, anyway. While Grasshop was given back his title, he spent more time with his family than in the castle, which was a better arrangement both for him and Buguese.

"Buguese! I heard from Stags what happened. Are you alright?" Beerain looked rather alarmed.

"Yes," replied Buguese. "For now."

"Forgive me if I'm interrupting your rest," Stags spoke. "But you should know that the messengers have not found a trace of the terrorist. Although she got away, I don't believe she is still nearby. For the time being, we should plan a counterattack."

"Yes, I understand," Buguese replied. "Then arrange for more soldiers to patrol the towns, and perhaps a smaller amount in the surrounding forest. If we are to fight immediately, I will leave that to you, Stags. You are most fit for the job now." Certainly, Beerain was in an even worse condition than he was, with her wings permanently damaged among other injuries. And Grasshop was never known for his power. This on top of Aqune's hesitance to actually hurt an enemy, Buguese certainly didn't have a strong line of defense. He wondered if somewhere along the line, he might have to recruit a new general. But that wasn't his top priority.

"Yes, at once," Stags answered. He turned to leave.

"And what should I do?" Beerain asked.

Buguese pondered for a moment, but he didn't really know. "Just stay on guard," he answered. "If you see or hear anything suspicious, let me know."

"Alright," she replied, though she sounded rather disappointed that it wasn't anything more important. "I guess I can't do for you what _she_ can." She glared at Aqune. "Or much of anything after what that girl did to me."

"I…" Aqune flinched. "I didn't mean to." She put a hand over her mouth, distressed.

Nonetheless, Beerain didn't reply, and left the room as well.

Aqune looked at Buguese, and it was obvious she was trying her best to hold back tears.

"It wasn't your fault," Buguese replied. "Only Mantid is to blame. And perhaps myself, for letting him control you." Buguese reached over, putting his hand on her shoulders. He hoped to at least comfort her a little. Aqune inched closer to him and leaned her head on his body. "What's done can't be changed, and she is wrong to take it out on you, but I do understand how Beerain feels. We're all feeling a bit useless now."

"Yes," replied Aqune. "This is when we really need hope. Everyone was happy when the sun was restored, when we could finally stop fighting. But still, we have a long way to go. We have regrets and bias to overcome. It scares me a little. There are still humans who hate Insectors… like that girl from before. And spending time here with you, it's clear that some Insectors can't forgive the humans."

"To see even you uncertain, dear Aqune, is telling," Buguese said. "That is why I can't be useless. I must do everything in my power to lead my people in a world where they can feel at ease."

* * *

She was sweating heavily as she lifted the heavy iron helmet from her head. Beneath the helmet was a girl who didn't appear any older than a young teen. Her face showed traces of burning, from the jolt of electricity she'd taken earlier. Her hair, a dark green color, was tied behind her head in a bun. She let it loose, and sat herself down on a rusted metal bench, her helmet next to her.

"Meta, you're back." A taller boy watched her from a distance away. His hair was the same color as hers. Their faces also had a notable resemblance, but the boy's eyes were grey, while hers were brown.

"Don't get excited," she responded, barely louder than a whisper. "I failed. I doubt I would have even returned with my life if not for Shale's help."

"I did expect better," the boy answered bitterly. "Well, you are still a beginner, I suppose."

"If you let me reveal my true identity… use my real power, I might have a chance," said Meta.

"I thought it would be too risky," the boy replied. "But maybe you have a point. The Insectors have to pay for what they've done, and we've just been playing games with them. Next time, we'll use all the power we have and crush their leader."

"There's one thing you should know, Morphos…" the girl responded, concern showing in her voice.

"What?" he replied, irritated.

"One of the Spider Riders was protecting Buguese."

"Oh really?" replied Morphos. He seemed rather amused. "I'd heard about a traitorous Spider Rider. Rumor was, she was just a pawn being controlled against her will. But then again, all the Spider Riders of Arachna now claim to be allies to the Insectors. There's talk on the streets of living in harmony with those fiends. A genuine traitor among our race who fights alongside them isn't too hard to believe."

"On top of that, she's powerful," said Meta. "I get the feeling she wasn't even going at full power, and she still hit me hard. My body probably looks worse than my face does now. I didn't want this."

"I don't want you getting hurt either. But neither of you were at full power, as you pointed out," Morphos spoke. "You'll just have to prioritize getting rid of her."

"Understood," she answered.

* * *

"Aqune… Aqune…"

A voice echoed in the girl's head. A gentle voice. She wasn't afraid of it. Merely confused.

"Aqune…"

"Spirit Oracle?"

Blackness surrounded the girl. But from deep within the black, an image began to surface. It was a familiar image. Eight legs in the sky. That was what she saw the day Mantid was defeated, when all eight Spider Riders were gathered.

"Why are you showing me this?" Aqune asked. "There aren't eight Spider Riders anymore, are there? Because, The Hero Brade is…" She was desperately trying to think of a meaning.

Then, a new vision appeared before the girl. A shadowy figure.

"Who is that?" She gasped, as a strong feeling came over her.

The next thing Aqune realized, she was lying in a bed. It was Buguese's bed, only the Insector wasn't there. Well, that wasn't the important thing. That dream was. Unlike some dreams, which were quickly forgotten, she could remember this one vividly.

"There's a new Spider Rider," she thought out loud. "I'm certain that's what Spirit Oracle wanted to tell me."

Deciding to speak with Buguese about her discovery, Aqune climbed out of the bed. Light reflected through the windows, showing that it was indeed morning.

After changing into a fresh pair of clothing, the girl began to search around the halls.

'I wonder where he went,' she pondered. Some place quiet was her first instinct. Unless he was in a substantially better mood than the previous evening, he probably wouldn't want to deal with anyone. But, on the other hand, she didn't think he'd be moping and doing nothing practical either. That gave her only one idea.

Aqune usually didn't like to go down into the laboratory area of the castle. It was truly haunting when Mantid was around, with all the experiments he did, the artificial life he created. Ethics aside, it was just plain creepy, and none of her business anyway. Although she believed Buguese felt similarly to her on the matter, he took the opposite approach and made it his business. He didn't dare create life forms, but he had certainly been using his former leader's resources to craft new machines that might aid the Insector people.

"Hello…" Aqune called, as she made her way down the stairway. "Buguese?"

"Aqune?" Indeed, he was there, and he approached the girl when he heard her call his name. "What are you doing here?"

"I was looking for you," she replied, and rushed up to him. "This is-"

Reflexively, she took a few steps back. In front of the girl was a massive Machine-Sector. It didn't look to be quite finished, but it was certainly coming along well.

"A new secret weapon," replied Buguese. "If it comes down to it, which I hope it will not."

The Insector hit a switch, which allowed the machine's chest plate to come open. "Like the Ultimate Machine-Sector, it can be controlled from the inside. That way, I can do all of the fighting myself, no matter what state my body is in."

Aqune was gaping, not sure what to say.

"Then… you did all of this last night?" It seemed impossible to her, but she didn't know much about building machinery.

"No," replied Buguese. "I started it beforehand. But I did spend a lot of time working on it just now."

"Y-You still should be resting," she stuttered. "My healing can only do so much good on its own."

"I feel alright now," he replied. Not necessarily true, but he felt he could keep running on adrenaline for a while longer.

"Alright," Aqune conceded. "But at least let me make you something for breakfast. You shouldn't go without sleep _or_ food."

"Very well," Buguese replied. It did actually sound nice to him. Aqune's cooking was always something to savor.

"Okay. I'll be right back," answered Aqune, before heading back up the stairs.

* * *

Aqune had an array of fresh ingredients lined up in the kitchen. She was dressed in her apron, and the stove was heating up. As she waited for it to finish, she started to mix some of the fruit she'd chopped up in a bowl. It was then when something dawned on her.

"I forgot to tell him," she realized. Aqune sighed. "Well, I guess it can wait. He might be unhappy to know. But… why does Buguese have to be so stubborn?" Her face was faintly blushed. "Why did I fall in love with such a difficult man?"

* * *

Early that morning, Stags had gone out to the forest which separated the Insector Empire from Arachna. He brought along with him a group of soldiers, and relieved from duty those which had remained staked out there overnight.

"Buguese… leave this to me," he thought out loud. If the attackers had yet to make their return all night, Stags knew it would only be a matter of time until they moved again. Of course he acknowledged the possibility that they were already hiding somewhere in the city. But it was a low chance, as his spies hadn't detected a trace of the humans.

The man paced around softly, listening intently to his surroundings. If there was any oddity, a rustling in the grass, a whistle in the air, he would track it. But the only sounds he heard were that of his own troops pacing as well.

In an instant, it struck him. From up in the tree tops, something was moving. There was a heavy clang as it hit the ground. There were more than one.

"Move!" Stags ordered, pointing his sword in the direction of the sounds.

True, the forest was the only safe way for humans to cross into the Insector world these days. But if these were ordinary humans crossing, they wouldn't have made such an unconventional approach. Well, if they did it would be at their own risk.

In a moment, Insector weapons crashed with the swords of human soldiers. They wore knightly armor, much like the girl from the previous day. Stags wondered somewhere in the back of his mind if that girl was among them. But it wasn't important.

A swing of his blade was enough to send several foes flying at once. This was already turning into a one-sided fight from the Insectors' side. Clearly, the humans were unprepared to be ambushed so quickly. Certainly Stags thought them foolish. To enter enemy territory without being prepared for retaliation was never wise. Perhaps it was because they'd gotten away with it before that they expected easy success.

Just as Stags was finishing what seemed to be the last of the terrorists, he noticed a shadow flying over his head. Quickly, he turned to face it. And his gut instinct was correct. The figure clearly resembled that of a battle spider.

"Keep patrolling the area!" Stags ordered. He took off as fast as he could in the spider's direction. Whatever they were doing there, he would catch it.

* * *

Aqune's cooking was complete. It was rather simple, she acknowledged. A fruit salad and toast, as well as some vegetable juice. But she did have to keep in mind Insectors' palates, which differed from that of humans. They didn't eat any kind of meat, for one, and preferred anything from plants.

She made her way back to the laboratory, and carefully carried her tray down the stairs.

"I hope this is to your liking," Aqune announced, and sat it down on a table.

"Yes… Anything will do. Welcome back." Buguese glanced at her, and to the food. He was on top of the robot, adjusting a part. The Insector climbed down to her level in a moment. He took a bowl of salad and slowly took a taste.

"Is it alright?" Aqune asked.

"Yes," replied Buguese, who smiled to her. "It's very sweet."

"Good," replied Aqune. She took a taste as well from her own bowl. She agreed with Buguese's deduction. But it mattered more that it was to his liking than to hers. She then placed down her bowl, refocused on her original objective. "By the way, there's something I have to tell you."

"Oh?"

"I had a dream last night," she began. "And… I think there's a new Spider Rider."

Buguese frowned.

"I suppose that isn't too surprising. But why should that matter?"

"Well… I don't know," replied Aqune. "But Spirit Oracle wanted me to know. So maybe… it's someone I'm going to encounter soon. Someone important."

"Perhaps a threat to us?" Buguese questioned. He didn't really care to hide his dislike for Riders, even if the ones from Arachna were technically allies now.

"A threat?!" Aqune questioned. "W-well… we can't rule out the possibility. But Spirit Oracle wouldn't give power to someone who would use them for evil… I think."

"Yet you can't be sure," Buguese replied. "Even Mantid was able to activate the power of all four Oracle Keys. Besides, good and evil aren't so black and white. What one thinks is evil may be justice to another. You of all people should be aware of that."

"Yes. I… I understand," Aqune stuttered. "But then… what good reason do people have now to attack your race? Even if they hate Insectors… It's difficult to comprehend completely. Humans and Insectors… in the end, what difference is there? Why can't we all come to some understanding?" She stared at the ground. "You're right… about feeling useless."

Buguese wanted to respond, but something distracted him. It was a loud shaking from above them.

"What was that?" Aqune asked, naturally having heard it as well.

"Nothing good, I would imagine," Buguese replied.

Down the stairs to the laboratory rolled Meta, who was cringing from the impact. Unlike before, the girl wasn't in her armor, but a tight-fitting white body suit, with green shoulder plates and various decorations of golden trim. There was a manacle on her wrist.

Aqune hadn't caught sight of the manacle, but was concerned to see an injured person crash in. She ran closer to the girl.

"Are you okay?"

The girl bit her lip, and lifted herself to a sitting position with a groan. Then, Aqune finally saw it.

"You're-"

She was interrupted by a swift punch to the chest, as Meta propelled herself to standing. Aqune fell back towards the center of the room.

"Aqune!" Buguese shouted. He thought of running to her, but she appeared more shocked than injured. Instead, he pulled out his retractable blade, and fired a quick shot at the new Rider.

Meta ducked to avoid the hit. Scowling at Buguese, she charged in Aqune's direction, materializing a sword in her hand as she moved.

"I don't want to fight!" Aqune yelled. "Especially not against another Spider Rider!" She darted away. The blade connected only with a wall.

"You're the new Spider Rider?!" Buguese was shocked, but realized he probably shouldn't have been. In any case, it didn't matter what this girl was. She was an enemy and was threatening Aqune. Buguese jumped up onto the Machine-Sector, ignoring all the pain in his body, and climbed into the cockpit.

'Even if it isn't finished, I can't do nothing,' he told himself.

As he was doing this, Aqune was making her best effort to dodge the fast sword strikes in her direction.

'I don't even have the chance to transform,' she thought to herself. 'Hmm… Maybe I don't need to.'

As another slash came her way, Aqune slid down beneath it, striking Meta at her feet. Struggling just to keep her balance after being tripped, Meta dropped the sword from her hand. Aqune snatched it quickly. She tossed the weapon away.

"What are you trying to pull?!" Meta shouted. Though she was disarmed, the infuriated girl wasn't about to relent. She threw out her fist, prompting Aqune to dart back closer to the wall, then continued with a kick. Being in no position to dodge, this time the hit connected. The impact was only doubled when she crashed into the wall.

Then, the metallic hand of the machine reached in, taking hold of Aqune. Buguese opened the cockpit, and maneuvered his dazed ally inside of it with him.

"Buguese…" Aqune mumbled. "Thank you."

"We still have an enemy on our hands," the Insector spoke.

Meta was annoyed by her target being taken away from her, but used the chance to re-acquire her weapon.

"Do you think your puny sword can do a thing against a Machine-Sector, Spider Rider?" Buguese asked mockingly.

"I don't care!" Meta shouted. "I just have to kill you, and that traitor!"

Buguese threw down the machine's massive fist at the girl. Meta quickly ran backwards, right into a corner. The fist hadn't made contact, unable to fit itself into such a narrow spot without damaging the walls. But Meta found herself pinned. Good enough for Buguese.

"Tell us now what you're after!" Buguese demanded.

"Buguese…" Aqune looked up at him worriedly. "You're not going to hurt her, are you?"

Meta looked to be frozen in shock.

"That depends on her answer," Buguese replied. Of course he wanted to _hurt_ her at the very least. But he didn't want to argue with Aqune right now.

"Who knows what you've done to poor Shale," Meta replied, shakily. "You Insectors are horrible!"

"Who is Shale?" Aqune asked.

"My spider!" shouted Meta. "I was ambushed by that insane general! Shale tried to protect me."

"Stags?" Buguese wondered. "If so, isn't that because you tried to ambush us first? Typical of humans to always play the victim."

"Buguese, wait," Aqune replied. "If we want to find out what she's after, we should talk it over calmly."

He growled. Much as Buguese wanted to object, he knew Aqune had a point. They were more likely to get her to talk without being too aggressive. Which wasn't going to stop him from keeping Meta pinned to the wall with his machine. A little bit of threatening could also help.

"I don't see why I should give you a bit of respect," Meta responded. "Insectors never do anything but harm. And a Spider Rider… a hero who would fight alongside the Insectors is just a villain too!"

"That's wrong!" Aqune exclaimed. "Neither Insectors nor humans are villains. Everyone fought to create a better world."

"A world full of loss and pain," Meta responded.

"We all have pain," Aqune replied. "And many did suffer loses… irreparable ones." She thought of Beerain and her damaged wings. "I may have contributed to them first hand. But I think that's more reason not to keep fighting. Nobody wants any more pain and loss."

Meta clenched her fists. She was unable to come up with a quick reply.

All of a sudden, a line of web shot down the stairs. As it whipped hard at the machine, Buguese was forced to release his target.

"Shale…" Meta attempted to cry out, but it came out in a rather weak, squeaky voice. She rushed up the stairs after regaining composure, something Buguese and Aqune couldn't easily manage from within the Machine-Sector.

Once the two dismounted, more carelessly than Buguese knew he was supposed to, they followed after. The two arrived to witness the girl on the back of a very battered-looking spider, bursting through the castle walls.

"Buguese!" Stags exclaimed, seeing his leader enter the room. "Shall I pursue her?"

"No," Buguese replied, though his voice left a bitter taste. "Let her run for now. In that state, she or the spider can't do much."

"You may be right," Stags said. "My troops and I took out many of their knights in the forest before. At the very least, we managed to weaken their forces."

"Still, can we believe this is over so easily?" Aqune wondered.

"Of course not," Buguese answered. "But as you can see, my Machine-Sector is coming along well even if it is incomplete. Naturally, it was constructed from the remains of the Ultimate Machine-Sector itself. Next time, we should take the fight to them."

"Alright," replied Aqune, apprehensively. She shook her head and smiled. "I'll trust you. And, now that we know we're up against a Spider Rider, I should be able to use my powers to locate her."

"Good," said Buguese. "Then we may have the advantage."

* * *

"So you lost again?" Morphos was furious, seeing the state of his comrade once she'd returned.

"I'm sorry," she replied, looking aggravated. "That machine… it was too much! Cut me a break."

"A machine?" questioned Morphos. "Now there's an excuse. Coming from Insectors, what else would you expect? Why did you really flee?"

"It was difficult!" Meta shouted back. "Shale was hurt, and that Rider girl… I don't get it! She didn't even really want to fight me. She wants… Her words were… " The girl was shivering, unable to form a coherent thought.

"I should have known," Morphos said, raising his fist in the girl's direction. "Spirit Oracle, who abandoned us, wouldn't even give us a useful power to fight with."

To the shock of the flinching girl, the boy's fist collided with the wall rather than her. He spit at the ground.

"Forget it! Do you really think I'd waste aggression on my little sister? There are bigger problems!"

He stepped away from the girl. "Maybe I was wrong to rely on your power alone. To take a purely offensive stance. Inevitably, they'll get fed up of these silly attacks and come to us, won't they? And knights are truly meant to defend after all."

* * *

"Aqune, have you found her yet?" Buguese didn't mean to sound so impatient, but he didn't really understand how Handmaiden powers worked. He just wanted an answer.

"No," Aqune replied. She was kneeling down on the ground in the laboratory, and had been chanting and focusing. Buguese was working on his machine in the meantime.

"I see," Buguese replied. "Then, I suppose I should let you concentrate."

"Yes, that might help," Aqune answered.

Although Aqune was barely familiar with the newest of Spider Riders, as a handmaiden she could sense anything related to the Oracle. But some things were tougher than others to find. Something far away, or with a weaker level of power, for instance, would take significantly more effort. She assumed this Rider would be somewhere in Arachna, thus not very close, and wasn't necessarily very connected to the Oracle if she'd only recently discovered her powers. So she wasn't the easiest thing to find.

The girl started her chant once more from the beginning. This time, she tried looking even deeper, blocking out every sensation around her. She had to be precise.

She saw a figure, matching the girl's shape. Concentrating deeper, the image became more vivid, with color and light. The location… it was slowly coming into focus too.

Once she was certain, she put an end to her trance, as it was fairly exhausting to keep up. Aqune snapped back into reality.

"Buguese, I found her!"

"Very good," Buguese replied.

"I have an idea," Aqune added. In truth, she'd been wondering what to do after they found the girl all while she was searching, which may have been hindering her concentration.

"And what's that?"

"I want to go ahead and meet with her first," she said. "I wonder if I can get through to her, because the both of us are Spider Riders."

"But she clearly wants you dead!" Buguese exclaimed. "It will be too dangerous…" He paused. "Even though, if anyone could get through to her, it would be you."

"I know the risks," said Aqune. "And that's why you'll stay behind me, in your Machine-Sector. If I call for help, you can come in and fight. I don't want to hurt that girl, or any of her allies. But if it comes down to it, the power of that Machine-Sector is the best chance we have." She looked troubled, but at the same time, determined.

"Very well," said Buguese. "That seems like an acceptable plan. The Machine-Sector is still in need of some work, so we will leave tomorrow morning."

"Understood," replied Aqune. "But please try and get some sleep tonight."

"We'll see about that," answered Buguese. Though he knew she was right.

* * *

The next morning, Buguese and Aqune departed as planned. Buguese transported Aqune a bit of the way in the Machine-Sector, to make it easier. Besides, if there were any lingering attackers in the forest, she wouldn't have to worry about fighting them.

The location in question was a port town in Arachna. It wasn't big for tourism, but there were often merchants there buying and selling goods. Not the most quiet place. Buguese knew he would have to be careful entering with his machine. As they got closer, Aqune deducted that the Spider Rider was staying within a particular unused storage building. Likely, it was used as a base by the terrorist group she was a part of. Hidden in plain sight. Not necessarily a poor tactic. And if the building wasn't used, most people wouldn't be coming close. That would help keep Buguese and Aqune away from the crowds as well. But unfortunately, a Machine-Sector couldn't be brought inside a building. Not without wrecking it. And with Aqune going inside, Buguese couldn't really risk knocking the whole place down on her.

Aqune took a deep breath to ready herself. She knew she was in the right place, and she trusted in Buguese. Now, she just had to shake off her doubts and take action.

The Rider approached the door, and turned the handle. The place was old, believed to be abandoned, so no one had ever bothered fixing the broken lock. Thus, getting in was easy enough.

"Hello?" she called out softly. She wasn't breaking in for stealth, so there was no reason to keep her presence hidden.

Inside, Meta sat up on a crate, clutching her knees. She was wearing her Spider Rider armor, though her spider itself, still injured, was sealed away in manacle space.

"Morphos was right. You really did come. How did you find us so fast?" She barely looked up at Aqune.

"Actually, I'm a handmaiden," Aqune replied. She was a bit surprised not to be attacked the second she went inside, but it was a pleasant development. "As long as you're connected to the Oracle, I can sense you."

"I didn't ask to be," Meta replied. "But good came from it. I got power. Power to take down Insectors, where the other Spider Riders failed to do so." She glowered in Aqune's direction. "Or so I thought. I should have known it wouldn't be enough."

"Umm... you're a new Spider Rider," Aqune said. She was uncertain how to go about replying, but couldn't say nothing either. "It takes a lot of hard work to become truly strong. But-"

"I can't take advice from an enemy," the girl interrupted. She raised her voice. "Whatever you may think of me, I only see you as a traitor and an enemy. Someone who only causes loss doesn't really know what it feels like to be on the receiving end!"

Before Aqune could think of a response, she noticed a soft hint of movement from behind her. She quickly pivoted herself in the sound's direction. There was a boy in armor facing her, with only the helmet removed. Morphos.

The armored boy had what looked to be a jousting lance clutched to his side. He struck immediately.

* * *

Tense, Buguese waited outside from in the robot's cockpit. He landed it on the ground, assuming that would come off as less hostile than hovering in the air. At least the dock where he was waiting hadn't been terribly active. Maybe it wasn't the right time of day for a lot of business.

'Of course it will take a while,' he thought to himself. 'Even for Aqune, convincing that Spider Rider won't be a simple task.' Still, he could barely fight the tension, as he factored what could go wrong and how. And he wasn't out of line to worry. From a distance away, Buguese heard a scream. The voice was unmistakably Aqune's.

"Wait for me!" He knew she wouldn't have heard him, but he didn't care. Leaving the cockpit, this time with a bit of delicacy but not much, he rushed to the building.

"Aqune!" Buguese spotted her immediately by the doorway, lying on the floor. She appeared to be conscious, but her face was contorted in pain.

The man bent down and pulled her into his arms. "Are you alright?"

"Ngh…" It was the closest to a response she could make.

"Shouldn't you be concerned about other things?" Morphos had a smug grin. Pulling down a switch on his wall, bars of light emerged from the ground, encircling Buguese and Aqune.

"What?!" Buguese looked left and right, trying to figure out exactly what it was trapping him, without actually touching it.

"I did expect you to come. Certainly the traitorous girl, but her master was sure to follow. And I'm not ignorant enough to not have security."

"Please tell us…" Aqune did her best to speak coherently. Having taken a swift hit to the gut, even from the weapon's blunt side, had knocked the wind out of her. "Why do you want to hurt us so badly?"

"Oh, I want to do more than hurt you," Morphos replied. "You might not be able to understand, but your master… he should know exactly why."

"Hm?" Aqune looked at Buguese in surprise.

"You'll have to forgive me, but I don't!" Buguese shouted.

Morphos snarled.

"Insulting as that may be, I suppose it makes sense. Insectors, after all, have caused so much pain it must be hard to keep track. Well, let me give you a little hint. Once before, your own troops attacked this very town."

"We have attacked many towns. I have no trouble in admitting that," Buguese responded. It was true, he realized. The location was familiar to him. But the boy wasn't, nor was the Rider girl, who was watching from a distance, a glare on her face. "Just who are you?"

"A nobody," he replied. "To you, anyway. As you can see, I'm the leader of a faction of knights. We call ourselves Knights for Humanity. A group of like-minded people, who simply won't accept a life of so-called 'harmony' with Insectors. And my sister over there is a Spider Rider among our ranks. The two of us have very good reason to despise you Insectors. When you attacked this place, before we had this lovely piece of security installed, our parents who worked here each day were murdered.

Aqune gasped.

"So… that's what you mean… about suffering loss?"

"Indeed," answered Morphos. "And well, now it's your turn. Not that anyone will miss fiends like you."

"But even if you hurt us… it won't be able to take back what already happened!" she protested.

Ignoring her, he hit another switch. In an instant, the bars of light began to come closer to the center… closer to the pair trapped inside.

"Buguese…" Aqune wrapped her arms around his neck, worried. She didn't want to simply cower, but she was at a loss for what to do.

The Insector growled. He couldn't conceivably see a way to get out, even to get to the switch. And the bars were only getting closer. He could feel heat resonating as they approached. He was certain now that he didn't want to touch them.

"Wait! Morphos!" Meta ran to her brother's side. "How do we know for sure?"

"What?" He shot her an angry glare.

"How do we know no one will miss them? I won't, but…"

"Don't let her get to you!" Morphos took her hands into his. "This is our chance to make up for what we lost."

"But…" She pulled out of his grip. "Even if it feels good at first, it really won't change anything." Meta pushed on one of the switches. While the cage of light remained, it instantly stopped compressing.

Buguese and Aqune let out a joint sigh of relief. Even if for just a moment, they were safe.

"No! You're wrong!" Rage lit in Morphos' facial features. Reflexively, he reached for the lance which was resting against the wall.

"What are you doing?" Meta grabbed at it, attempting to wrestle it from her brother's hands. Morphos pulled it back slightly, having a tighter grip where he held the handle. The back-and-forth tugging caused the blade to slide down in an awkward sideways motion. By either fate or a freak accident from the movement of their bodies, it sliced into the side of Meta's body. She screamed.

Morphos let go of his grip on the lance instantly, leaving it hanging from Meta's hands, hands she was also using to clutch her side. She stepped back, her body wobbling, until finally she collapsed in a heap, succumbing to the screaming pain. All the while, the boy was only gazing in horror.

Buguese too was shocked by the sight. He was sure Aqune would be even more disturbed. He hadn't expected to see a bright glow resonating from Aqune when he looked down at her.

"I know what I can do," Aqune said. "If only I realized sooner."

Shortly, the Machine-Sector came crashing through the walls, despite the fact that no one was piloting it.

"How?!" Buguese exclaimed.

"You told me that this Machine-Sector was built from the remains of the Ultimate Machine-Sector," she said. "And that machine was born from Spirit Oracle's power. Therefore, I can control it." Buguese noticed that her voice seemed weak, but didn't dare try and stop her from whatever she was attempting. He simply watched. Watched the Machine-Sector's arm reach out, and break the switch. The bars of light retreated back into the ground from where they came.

"Now… it's up to you." Aqune slumped down into the Insector's arms.

"Thank you, Aqune," Buguese said. While carrying her in his arms, he climbed into the Machine-Sector's cockpit once again. And with good timing. Damaged from the impact, the ceiling above them began to crack.

By now, Morphos had snapped out of his temporary state of shock. He reclaimed the lance once more. The boy charged at the Machine-Sector, swinging it down. A futile assault, as it accomplished nothing more than making a clanging sound.

"You should give up," Buguese spoke. "You have no chance of defeating me now."

"How absurd!" the boy spat. "Because of you, now I'm going to lose even my sister." He threw down the blade once more, with the same effectiveness as the first time.

The cracks in the roof were only expanding by the moment. A large chunk began to fall, where it would easily crush the Rider bleeding on the floor, if not her brother too. Buguese pushed at it from below, holding it in place best he could. Much as he would have preferred to just let it drop, he was certain Aqune would object.

"Perhaps she won't die if you flee with her now and get medical attention," Buguese responded.

"What?!" Morphos still looked furious. "You can't stay like that forever! I'll break through this machine of yours and do you in!"

"Please…" called a soft voice.

"Aqune?" Buguese looked at her with surprise.

"You're right," said Aqune. "We can't stay like this forever. So please… save her."

It was clear that the fragments above the Machine-Sector's hand were shifting. And there were other cracks. Even if Buguese did try to support this single section forever, another part of the room would crash in.

"I…" Morphos clenched his fists. He screamed out in anger. Then, he darted down to the ground, lifting his sister over his shoulder. He started to run. And just as he did, more of the roof began to crash.

A cloud of dust which had formed in the room began to clear. Buguese thrust the roof fragments he had been supporting onto the ground, seeing that no one was beneath it anymore.

"I wonder… did they escape?" Buguese had turned the machine around, and was staring at the pile of rubble.

"I think… yes," replied Aqune. "At least, I want to believe they did. My powers are a little weak right now. I can't feel anything for certain. But… I'm going to believe they're okay."

"And what good will come if they are?" asked Buguese. "Once they recover, they will just attack us again. At least the boy will. And they were not alone in this either."

"I know that," said Aqune. "This isn't really over. And many others unrelated to these people may act on their pain and cause fighting."

Buguese sighed.

"Then what shall I tell my people when I return? That in the end, there is nothing I can do to help ease them?"

Aqune shook her head.

"There are things we can do. Most importantly, we need to show compassion to everyone. Even you believe that I may have reached the heart of that Spider Rider."

"Well…"

"It may not be much, but it's progress," said Aqune. "If all of us show compassion, each Insector and human, then slowly we might start to trust each other. But if we're hostile, if we don't try to see the other point of view, then you're right. Nothing will change."

"That isn't quite the answer I hoped for," admitted Buguese.

"I'm sorry that I can't think of anything that would take faster," replied Aqune.

"No," said Buguese. "You are right. For me as well, it will be difficult. I would rather not associate with the humans at all if I can avoid it. But perhaps I'll try and build better relations with them."

"I'll help," Aqune said. "Of course, I'm a human, and you're an Insector. But despite that, the two of us have been able to get along. Even if we can't always understand each other, we try. And when we work together, we can accomplish a lot."

"That's true, isn't it?" As he was already holding her, Buguese softly patted her head. He moved his hands through her hair, and brushed at her cheek.

Aqune was blushing, as she gazed up at him.

"I have a good feeling about this. We'll definitely accomplish something."

Aqune reached out for his shoulders and pulled her head closer to his. Their faces were near enough to feel each other's breath. Buguese's hair tickled Aqune's face. The girl closed her eyes, just before their lips finally met. Their first kiss was short, yet tender. A sign that human and Insector could come to love each other. They were different, yet alike.


End file.
